Illuminated music lyres



May 6, 1941- c. w. RosEBERRY 2,241,319

ILLUMINATED MUS IC LYRES Filed Aug. 8, 1940 Patented May 6, 1941 ILLUMINATED MUSIC LYRES Curtis W. Roseberry, Leesville, La., assignor of forty -nine Leesville, La.

per cent to Jay Gethren Palmer,

Application August 8, 1940, Serial No. 351,832

(Cl. 24U-6.4)

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in illuminated music lyres, and more particularly relates to that type oi small lyre carried directly upon the musical instrument lor holding ne music in position to be read by the player willie marching oniparade. Aine primary object of the invention is to provide such a lyre with illuminating means :or illuminating the music sheets at night and when playing in dark places where music stands cannot be used such as in a stadium at night.

A further object of the invention is to provide a small, neat and inexpensive attachment for me present form of lyre which will aid in the support of the music sheets and will also add materially to the strength of the lyre while providing the necessary illumination.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a small and easily handled illuminated lyre construction in which the illumination is procurable by the use of replaceable dry batteries at small cost and wherein the lighting of the lyre is controlled externally by a conveniently operable switch that forms an unobtrusive part of the construction.

An important object of the invention is to provide a separable lamp, battery and switch assembly which may be attached to and detached from the lyre in a quick and easy manner and in which when in place the unit will tend to reinforce the back plate of the lyre which carries the unit.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be more fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

1n the drawing, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure l is a side elevation of a musical instrument and lyre with the device attached which is constructed in accordance with the present invention.

lyre showing the initial contracted condition of the spring clamps in the act of assembly, and

r'igure 7 is a cross-section taken on the line l-l in Figure 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawing I0 represents an upright casing or barrel of metal or other appropriate material in which one or more dry battery cells II are removably contained, such batteries being of a usual form i'ound on the open market for use in connection with flash lights. Such cells II are supported upon a coil spring I2 mounted within a hollow cap I3. Across the iiange of the cap and through the coil spring Il, anchoring such coil spring to the cap, is a cross pin I4 having outwardly pro- Jecting ends at diametrically opposite points of the flange for the purpose of entering bayonet slots I5 in the lower portion of the casing I0. The flange of the hollow cap I3 slidably ts within the lower open end of the casing I0.

The spring I2 serves to snap the cross pin ends into the locking sockets of the bayonet slots, which condition is shown in Figures 2 and 3. By pushing upwardly upon the hollow cap I3 and retaining the same the pin ends will be free of the bayonet slots permitting oi the downward removal of the cap and spring assembly thus permitting of the removal of the battery units and their replacement whenever the same have become exhausted.

Batteries of course are in electrical connection as usual. The top terminal I6 of the battery is shown as placed in close proximity to a spring terminal Il normally biased to an upper non-contacting relation with battery terminal I6. Switch blade I8, is mounted for rotation cross-wise of the casing I0 and in position with relation to spring terminal Il that when in the position indicated in Figure 4, the at side of the switch blade I8 will be presented to spring terminal I'l, thus permitting the inherent resiliency of the terminal to break contact with the battery terminal I6. When, however, the switch blade I8 is rotated through an angle of 90 from Figure 4 the broad side of the blade will be brought downwardly against spring terminal I1 forcing the same down upon battery terminal I6 and thus completing the circuit of the lamp.

The rotary switch blade I8 may be conveniently rotated by an external rotary operating knob I9. The spring terminal Il is upon the lower end of a bow 20 held in place by a screw 2|. This screw has its headed portion lying within a lamp socket 22 in which is removably screwed a lamp 23.

rhe lamp socket is contained in a housing 24, the axis of which is at substantially right angles to the axis of the tubular upright casing I0. Within the housing 24 is an internal shoulder 25 against which fits an insulating washer 26 which is external of the lamp socket. Within the lamp socket is another insulating washer 2l; the screw 2l passes through the base of the lamp socket and through both of said insulating washers and draws these three parts against the shoulder 25. The screw 2i also has electrical contact with the bow 25 and the head of the screw forms the base terminal for engagement by the terminal Yof the lamp 23.

As shown in Figure 3 wings or langes V28 of the casing 24 receives screws or other fastenings 23 by which a reflector casing 30 is secured upon the housing 24. The lower portion of the reflector casing 36 is open and light shields 3I and 32 project downwardly-therefrom with the shield 3| bentat a -greater-angle'from.the openings,I Yof the` casing than the outer shield 32 in order to shield the eyes of the musician and to vthrow the illumination from the Ylamp 23 directly upon the music held in the lyre.

A top flanged plug I33 is fitted removably in the upper end of the upright casing I and carries the bow 25 and receivestherethrough .the screw 2| and the rotary switch blade I3. This switch blade may be withdrawn laterally from the top plug 33 yand from the casing I0; `and after the screws 29 are removed and the reflector casing 30 separated from the housing 24 .the lamp bulb 23 may be unscrewed from the lamp socket 22 giving access to the head of the screw 2 I. By unscrewing this screw 2| with the aid of a screw driver such screw 2l may be withdrawn from the vplug 33 and from the casing I0, this allowing the plug to be lifted out.

of the casing I as shown in Figure 4.

The lyre stem is indicated at 34, the same having a foot 35 removably received in the detent The housing 24 fits at its inner end into a circular opening made in the side walls engaged by the thumb and fingers of one hand and pressed together, as shown in Figure 5. against the sides of the casing I0, in which position the clamp members 45 are brought together in the position shown in Figures 5 and 6. This enables the clamp members 45 to line up with and to enter the openings in the back of the lyre. The wide lower portions of clamp members 45 are preferably introduced at the lower portions of the lyre openings.

Once the clamp members 45 have entered the openings, the casing IU may be raised and .the grip upon side members 44 released. The spring clamp will then open causing the members 45 to spread out and to engage the bars as shown in Figures '2 and 3. The fastenings 43 being in line will not interfere with the resiliency of the side members 42. The clamp members are carried upon the free ends of these side members 44. As 'shoxtminiFignre 6 .the v clamp members .45 are of less lhei'ght'than thebpeningsin the back of the lyresso asto enablethe Yclamp members to interlock with -thelyre'bars in the upper position of the clampm-embers infsuch openings.

As shown in Figure `i the casing I 0 lies closely along .the back of the lyre to a relatively long substantially vertical line to reinforce and strengthen the back of t-he lyre against any weakening influence incident toits support of the lamp assembly unit. g

By squeezing ktogether the sidemembers 44 and lowering the casing I0 the unit may be quickly removed from its engagement with the lyre. The

' lamp may be illuminated by a quarter turn of the 36 mounted upon the musical instrument 31 2'? shown in Figurel. Y

The back of the lyre is usually constructed with a central bar 38 with openings 39 at the sides thereof, such openings being in turn flanked by the side bars 40. The usual spring lyre music clamp is indicated at 4 I. The upright casing IU carries a sheet metal spring 42 secured by fastenings 43 to the front side of the housing IU near its lower end. Such sheet-metal spring extends around rthe casing in both directions from the point of fastening 43 and involves side members'44 which extend `along the sides ofthe casing and project tangentially rearward therefrom, as indicated in Figure'5, to a planespaced'from the rearmcst portion of casing Il. Here the side members 44 are outturned to form the outturne'd 'clamp members 45, such members extending in opposite directions. Such outturned clamp members have inclined edges 4B, as shown more particularly in Figures 2 and 6, thus the vclamp members are wide at their lower ends andprogressively narrow'to the upper'parts thereof` for the purpose of agreeing generally with the form of the openings 39 -in the back of the lyre.

In the use of the device, the casing I U, housing 24 and lamp reflector 35 with'their interior parts constitute a lamp assembly which may be quickly attached to or detached from the lyre back by the use ofthe spring clamparrangement.

The side members 44 of the clamp may be 75 switch knob I9 `and .as easily extinguished. It will' be appreciated thatall of the parts `are readily accessible for replacement and repair and for the renewal of .batteries and that the device is quickly putin place and removed from the lyre.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications maybe made in the details of construction -an'd'd'es'ign of the a'bove specifically described embodiment of this invention without departing from lthe spirit thereof, such changes-and modifications being restricted only bythe scope 'of the following claims.

uWhat is 'claimed is:

l. vIn"co'm'bination 'with a lyre light, a hollow casing Alying along the rear of 'said lyre, means for iholding 'said lcasing on said lyre, l:batteries in saidcasing, a `housing projecting at substantially right angles forwardly from the upper portion of said casing, -a llight Yreflector .removably carried by said housing, said light Vreector having an opening in itsflower portion, light -shields at opposite sides of said opening, a lamp socket -in'said housingfa lamp inthe-'reflector removably mounted in 'said socket, "and electrical and switch connections between said lamp and said batteries.

Incombination with a `music lyre, a hollow casing, Imeans for supporting said casing yfrom saidlyre'batteries insaidcasing, said casing having an opening in its side wall at its upper portion, an. open Aended housing having an end '.tted in said opening, a lamp socket .in said housing, a lamp in-saiiil socket, alightreflectoron said housing extending about said lamp, aninternal shoulder Sinsaidhousing adjacent the casing, a fastening member passingthrough'the base of said lamp socket,iinsulating'membersat opposite sides of the lamp socket base, one of ;said insulating members abutting against said internal shoulder, a contact member in electrical connection with "said-screw and mountedin said casing .in proximity to a terminal of said battery, and switch means through said casing in working relation to said 10 spring terminal, a housing extending off from said casing near its upper end, a lamp socket in said housing, a lamp in the socket, a reflector on the housing extending about said lamp, and a fastening member for holding the lamp socket in the housing and for drawing the housing against the casing, said fastening passing through said plug and said bow spring contact member.

CURTIS W. ROSEBERRY. 

